Parents driving with children on laps is a dangerous blind spot in Malaysia’s road safety enforcement that needs urgent action.
THE recent sentencing of an express bus driver and his girlfriend to jail for “lap-driving” with 27 passengers on board was a necessary judicial intervention.
However, while the public is quick to condemn commercial drivers, we remain dangerously silent about a mirrored behaviour in private cars: parents driving with children on their laps.
In the field of occupational safety, we are taught that accidents are rarely isolated events; they are the result of pre-existing conditions.
The core principle of safety is to remove conditions prone to accidents. Placing a child behind the wheel is the direct opposite of this principle; it is the active creation of a hazardous condition.
Many parents justify this act as “bonding” or “sharing fun”. While the sentiment of love is understood, the physics of a collision are indifferent to intention.
On a public road, you are in a “live-playing field” where a split-second distraction can lead to tragedy. If an airbag deploys, a child on a lap is not being “held”; they effectively become a human airbag, absorbing the massive force of the impact against the steering column.
This is not an act of love; it is an act of gross irresponsibility that endangers the child, the occupants and every other road user.
For those wanting to nurture a child’s interest in driving, there are appropriate tools – toy cars, simulators or controlled environments like recreational mini-circuits. A public highway is not a playground.
The disparity in enforcement is also troubling. Why is one act a jailable offence while the other is met with sympathy and leniency?
This cultural blind spot reflects a failure in our enforcement ecosystem. We cannot afford to wait for a viral video or a fatality to take action.
To reduce the carnage on our roads, we must shift our mindset. The authorities must move beyond advocacy and begin strict, uncompromising enforcement against any driver – public or private – who treats a steering wheel as a toy.
We must eliminate the hazard before the accident occurs, not just mourn the consequences after.
Chin Yew Sin
Shah Alam
